A 45-year-old man, accused of raping his minor niece for 18 months in Delhi, has been arrested from West Bengal, police said on Monday.

Police said Sheikh Riyajul, a rickshaw-puller, had been staying with the 10-year-old girl's family in south Delhi's Jamia Nagar area for the last one-and-a-half years, during which time he sexually assaulted her on many occasions.

"Riyajul is a native of Malda and is the uncle of the victim. He had been raping the girl after her parents left for work. He was arrested on Sunday from his hideout in West Bengal," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya.

The incident came to light in April when the girl's parents filed a complaint of rape against Riyajul at Jamia Nagar Police Station, said police.

"The victim told her parents about the series of assaults after Riyajul left for his native village. She told them that he would rape her whenever he found her alone in the house. He also threatened her with dire consequences if she told her parents," said Baaniya.

Police have been raiding his hideouts since three months but he was consequently changing location to evade arrest. He was finally nabbed on Sunday, he added.

--IANS

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